Sunny day dress

Last night, after many months of no sewing (about ten months, actually), I decided to make a dress. I don't know if that means I'm officially 'old'. Ten years ago I would not have predicted that I'd be sewing late on a Saturday night!

I decided to pull out my Sew La Tea Do book and make Pip's fabulous sunny day dress, as I'm sure it will be a good thing to have on hand in summer. I had just enough candy-stripe material in my stash (thanks to my friend Irene), and I decided to use some leftover red fabric for the straps to avoid stripe overload. The pattern was for small to medium, so I sized it down a tad. I probably could have gone a bit smaller, but I guess a dress that's a little too big is better than one that's too small! I also omitted the pockets, simply because it would save time.

Pip also suggested using iron-on hemming, but I decided to sew my hem. This bit took quite a long time, as I had to get rid of a lot of excess fabric. I'm not entirely happy with it, but the dodgy bits are on the inside so I don't really care. I'm going to make a red sash to go with the dress as well. That way I can choose to wear it a little more fitted if I want to. I think the original 'flowing' design will be perfect for our humid Brisbane summer days, and perhaps even for the beach.

Overall, this was a really easy dress to make. The straps take a while to sew, but nothing in the pattern is overly hard to do. Pip's instructions are perfect for beginners. She even tells you when to make a cup of tea!

Close-up: art hanging system

By popular demand, here are some close-up shots to show how our art hanging system works. Firstly, you remove the cap from one end of the track and slide in a hanger. Each of these hooks can hold up to ten kilograms.

Then you can adjust the hook to the required height by sliding it along the plastic tubing.

Finally, you hang your frame (or, in this case, skateboard) on the hook. The plastic tubing is quite long, so you can hide it behind by loosely securing it with a rubber band.

You can change the configuration at any time by sliding the hangers along the track or changing the height of the hook. This makes it very easy in our case to just add more skateboards to the wall!

David Bowie is here!

Today we (well, John) finally got around to picking up my Cease and Desist skateboard from the post office, featuring none other than Mr David Bowie. As soon as I got home from work, I promptly set about installing it on our new art hanging system.

Also, thanks to those who commented on my post about the hanging system. As requested, shortly I'll post some close-up shots to show everyone how it all works. 

Art hanging system

In my last post about skateboard art I mentioned that we were considering having an art hanging system installed in the living room. Well, the price turned out to be so affordable that we decided to have two walls done! We went with the original plan of the wall above the TV (where the boards were hanging), as well as the main wall that runs along the hall.

I think this system will work very well for us, as it allows us to change our display very easily. The skateboards are now hanging on the main wall (with the two new boards still to be hung), and our framed Blacklist Studio prints (which were previously on the floor leaning against the wall) are now above the TV. I'd still eventually like to hang my Kozyndan print on the main wall once it's framed, but I love that we now have the flexibility to change our minds about the configuration whenever we feel like it (rather than drilling permanent holes into the concrete walls).

What do you think?! We've only had it installed for a day, so it's still very new and exciting for me...

Update: skateboard art

Quite a while ago now, I mentioned our desire for more skateboard art in our home. We currently have two boards hanging in the living room: one glow-in-the-dark limited edition Dalek board, and one Neckface board signed by the artist on his 2007 Australian tour (when we are lucky enough to see him spraypainting at the former incarnation of the Alibi Room in New Farm).

In the last two weeks, we've added not one but TWO new boards to our collection, which means we'll soon have four on the wall. The first one was this Jordan Hoffart/Vernon Courtlandt Johnson (VCJ) board that John wanted. Apparently it's quite significant because it's the first commercial board produced by VCJ in a long time, and he designed some of the most influential graphics of the '80s. John was lucky enough to get one of the first five boards, which are signed by both Johnson and Hoffart, with all proceeds going to charity.

Our second board (which I purchased) is this Jason Lee/Cease and Desist David Bowie Aladdin Sane board. The Cease and Desist boards are replicas of (or, perhaps more fittingly, tributes to) original designs from the '80s and '90s which were only produced in limited numbers due to the fact that they infringed on copyright (and therefore subject to cease and desist letters). The new boards are hand printed in limited runs of 100. As it's next to impossible to get hold of an unused original of this design without parting with a significant amount of cash, this is the next best thing. Oh, and for those who don't know, the Jason Lee I am referring to is the one as the My name is Earl guy (he was a pro skateboarder in the early '90s).

We're considering getting a professional hanging system installed by the Art of Hanging in Nundah so we can display the boards in the best way possible (and so that we can easily change them around should we acquire more!).

Red porcelain

In addition to the incredible Dinosaur Designs platter, my best friend also gifted me these stunning porcelain cups from Shanghai homewares store Platane. I'm also yet to find the perfect location to put these. They are deserving of an extra-special spot, I think.

Dinosaur Designs platter

Wow, would you look at those tumbleweeds rolling on through the land of Flying Ducks? It seems that yet again I have been absent, due to a whole range of things happening in my life (a family wedding, sickness, study, work). Thankfully I only have to contend with study for a couple more weeks, so I should be around a lot more!

My best friend recently moved house, and decided to rid herself of her 'red things' in the process. Lucky for me, I love red things! Even luckier still is that I love Dinosaur Designs, and I am now the proud owner of this incredible (and HUGE) platter. I haven't quite worked out a place worthy of its presence just yet, but here is a little peek at its amazingness.